Obsidian's Avowed, now available in early access, has surprised players with a romantic subplot, despite initial claims to the contrary. While Obsidian previously stated Avowed wouldn't include a dedicated romance system, focusing instead on "thoughtful relationships" with companions, early gameplay reveals at least one companion, Kai, develops romantic feelings for the player character.

This contradicts earlier statements by Avowed game director Carrie Patel, who, in an IGN interview, explained their decision to avoid a traditional romance system: "We are building thoughtful relationships with our companion characters," Patel stated. "Ultimately, I personally am a fan of making that an option, but I feel like if you're going to do it, you really, really have to commit and make sure that you're giving all to fulfilling that in a way that feels both true to the character, but also creates an engaging player experience. So not something we're doing for Avowed, but I wouldn't say never."

Major Spoilers Ahead: Details regarding the romantic interactions with Kai are emerging from early access players and reviewers. If you wish to experience these interactions unspoiled, avoid reading further.

**Warning! Avowed spoilers follow:

This section would detail the specific romantic interactions with Kai. (Note: This response cannot provide specific details as the input lacked those details.)